A2B: A unique opportunity for athletes to benefit from mentoring

The partnership between Moving Ahead and the EIS Performance Lifestyle (PL) team further evolved as the second phase of the A2B (Athlete to Business) mentoring programme was launched last month.

The Moving Ahead A2B Programme, managed in collaboration with the PL team at the English Institute of Sport, provides an opportunity for athletes to create connections away from sport.

Moving Ahead design, deliver, evaluate and support world-class mentoring partnerships between and within the worlds of sport and business.

A2B leverages Moving Ahead’s mentoring specialism and the detailed knowledge and expertise of the EIS PL advisors.

Over 80 athletes have been partnered with mentors from a variety of industries, including Ricoh, Santander, Deloitte and Allianz.

A2B is available to any high performance athlete, current or retired, and each athlete has been matched to a corporate mentor. The mentors come from a range of backgrounds and have a minimum 10 years’ experience in business.

During the 12-month programme, the mentoring pairs will talk regularly and attend a series of learning and networking events to support the process.

Jo Harrison, Head of Performance Lifestyle at the EIS attended the launch on 28 November at the London Stock Exchange, alongside some of her PL colleagues, and spoke to athletes and mentors.

Jo said: “It was a pleasure to attend such a positive event that can offer opportunities to athletes. We strongly believe in the power of mentoring and we’ve seen first-hand how positively athletes can respond.

“Often we’ll say to athletes that you’re more than just your performances and medals. At some point athletes will have to step away from their chosen sport and this partnership with Moving Ahead can help create that bridge and ensure a safe journey from one fantastic career to another.”

Monica Relph, former GB rower and development expert at Moving Ahead, said: “It is fantastic to be working in collaboration with the EIS Performance Lifestyle Advisors on this incredibly worthwhile programme.”

The first phase was launched in March of this year with Nigel Walker, National Director at the EIS, himself a former international athlete and Welsh rugby union player, in attendance.

For more information please contact Monica Relph at: monica@moving-ahead.org

What is Performance Lifestyle?
Performance Lifestyle is a personalised support service to enable athletes to deal with the unique lifestyle demands of being an elite sportsperson and is designed to help them manage their sporting and non-sporting commitments.

Performance Lifestyle aims to support athletes in creating a lifestyle that supports their current performance needs but also critically generating future pathways to ensure that options and opportunities are waiting when the time comes to step away from competitive sport.

Top tips for current and retired athletes to create their Plan B, from former rower Monica Relph:

1. Always say ‘yes!’ to a cup of coffee. Meet as many people as you can from outside your world and broaden your horizons.
2. Be curious. Put your pride to one side and keep asking questions.
3. By planning for what’s next, you could be in your sport for longer. It allows you to plan financially and emotionally – that stability will help you focus.
4. You don’t have to continue working in your sport when you retire. There is a whole world of other opportunities out there and you will find your skills are not only transferable but highly valued. Only 3% of ballet dancers say they want to teach post retirement, but 53% end up teaching in some capacity.
5. Seek out a mentor from outside your world. Mentors will be excited to help an elite athlete. They act as your champion, your cheerleader. They challenge your thinking from a totally different perspective. They aren’t there to offer you a job, but they can offer you a roadmap to your future.